election rigging

07/26/2017

Jeff Sessions is being flagellated by his boss because of Russia. And it doesn’t stop. At every opportunity, Trump gets in a dig at Sessions for recusing himself from the inquiry about whether Russia interfered in the election and whether there was collusion with Trump or his team. The president believes there never would have been a special investigator looking into his affairs and those of his associates if Sessions had not recused himself and had blocked any investigation.

But why is President Trump so obsessed with the Russia investigation. If there is nothing to hide, why is Trump making such a big deal about it? It appears that he is going to try to make Jeff Sessions quit as Attorney General, or if that does not work to fire him. Then he can appoint a new Attorney General who can oversee or eliminate the special investigation. Trump would love to get rid of Mueller and his staff, but that might raise an uproar even among conservatives who are currently backing Trump. Having a new AG doing the dirty work for him might be more palatable for Trump. The new AG could say the investigation was tainted and that he wants to start all over with a new team. However, that action would also cause a backlash from Republicans and Democrats alike.

It may be that Trump is afraid his tax returns might reveal long standing connections with Russia, perhaps financial backing for his real estate empire, and that is what he wants to keep hidden from the special investigator. In fact, he warned Mueller to stay away from any of his financial dealings as Mueller was charged with looking into the Russian meddling in the election and not anything else.

But Mueller is taking a broader view of his directive and is trying to learn if there were any associations between the Russians and Trump prior to the election that might have carried over. Putin disliked Hillary and saw Trump as a possible friend or puppet in the White House, willing to end Russia’s sanctions if Russia assisted him in his quest to get elected. Congress however, has tied Trump’s hands in dealing with the sanctions, prohibiting the president from unilaterally rolling back any of the restrictions without Congressional approval.

This was done in spite of Trump’s lobbying of Congress against it, wanting to retain the power to act if he saw fit. But Congress was obviously wary of Trump’s relationship with Putin and Russia, despite both men denying there was any Russian interference with the election. The new sanctions and the limitations on Trump were indications that Congress does not trust the president when it comes to Russia and the bill was passed with a veto-proof majority in both Houses of Congress.

Trump’s lawyering up to deal with the Russian investigation and the discussions of his ability to pardon his team members and possibly himself are further suggestions that there is some dirt in Trump’s closet that he does not want to be swept out and it likely involves the Russians. It has to seem strange to Mueller and his investigators as well as neutral onlookers that members of Trump’s team had so many meetings with Russians before and after the elections. Not China, Great Britain, Israel, or any other friends or adversaries of the United States were favored with similar meetings. Why Russia?

07/20/2017

President Trump said it himself the other day when discussing a number of states’ refusal to release data to his commission investigating election fraud. He declared that there must be something wrong going on if these states won’t provide information on their voters because of concerns about privacy. Applying the same standards to Trump, there must be something wrong going on with his refusal to release his taxes, his firing of James Comey, his anger at Jeff Sessions in recusing himself in the Russian investigation and the complete lack of transparency by the Trump team unless forced to release information.

Trump has also warned Mueller to stay away from his financial information since the investigation is supposed to focus on Russia. But what if Trump’s taxes and financial data reveal a connection with Russia, its banks or agencies? What is he trying to hide and what is wrong?

Certainly, Trump must have known about Donald Jr and Kushner’s meeting with the Russians that took place in Trump Tower while Trump was in the building. It is unlikely that Jr did not tell his father that some dirt on Hillary was in the offing, since he was so overjoyed at the prospect. And Trump himself said that he would be giving a speech on Hillary’s transgressions in the near future when his son was meeting with the Russians. The only problem was that the Russians apparently did not have much information on Hillary that would be of political value.

The meeting could also have discussed when Wikileaks would release the data in Hillary that they likely obtained from the Russians, and what else could be done to damage her. Whatever the meeting encompassed, it was obviously illegal for members of the Trump team to try and get damaging information on their opposing candidate from a foreign power- especially one that was considered an adversary. This was not false news as it was in Jr’s email.

As far as the original FBI investigation of Trump under James Comey, he likely did come across something that hit a raw nerve of Trump’s if he was willing to fire someone who the political class and the public thought of highly. Or he was afraid that Comey would uncover something shortly and wanted to prevent it. There obviously was something to hide. That’s why Trump was so angry at Sessions for recusing himself from the Russian investigation as Trump thought that Sessions would be able to end the inquiry and bury anything that was damaging to his boss.

The same reasoning is behind Trump’s failure to release his taxes as he promised he would multiple times, and his warning to Mueller to stay away from looking into any financial issues. If there was nothing wrong and nothing to hide, Trump would have encouraged Mueller to dig in to everything and get him exonerated.

There seems to be little question that Putin has something on Trump and that Trump’s willingness to fight against increased sanctions on Russia for interference in our elections puts this out on the table. Is it financial loans from Russian banks for Trump’s real estate empire or ‘kompromat’- compromising information about sexual or criminal actions that might have involved the president.

Mueller has said that he will investigate Trump’s financial dealings after Trump warned him not to. Will this lead to Trump firing Mueller or trying to stonewall him in some way? Whatever happens, Mueller does not appear to be a guy who will be bullied by the president. If there’s something wrong or hidden, he should find it.

07/13/2017

By now, everyone in the world who can read or owns a television knows about Don Jr’s escapade with the Russians. Eager to get dirt on Hillary that might help’s his father’s campaign, Jr agreed to meet with a Russian lawyer who was an agent of the Kremlin. But not only did he agree to meet, he was ecstatic about possibly getting information that would damage Hillary. Unfortunately for him, his email reply to the person setting up the meeting revealed his enthusiasm and apparent willingness to do anything to assist his father in the race. The proper reaction to this contact by a Russian would have been for Don Jr to notify the FBI. But why let some good dirt on Hillary possibly go to waste?

Not unsurprisingly, his father did not see anything wrong in what he did, though receiving anything of value from a foreign entity to aid in an election is illegal. Apparently, he was not offered any money, but information about an opposition candidate is also considered beneficial. Don Jr denies that he obtained any data that would have assisted his father or hurt Hillary. But can this be taken at face value when he and his teammates have lied so frequently before, during, and after the campaign. Even this story about the meeting has changed several times as investigative reporters dug up more facts about the meeting/conspiracy? Don’s big mistake was writing an email about the contact which remains as a permanent record of his interaction. Even if it wasn't illegal, it certainly was unethical.

Several questions are raised by the episode. The first is whether big Don was knowledgeable about what was taking place. Though Jr insists that his father was not aware of the meeting, this is what the Trumpies want the public to believe, so that Don Sr would not be implicated in any possible illegal act. However, it is unlikely that big Don did not know what was going on, as the Trumpies are a tight knit clan ruled with an iron hand by the father. If Jr thought he might be getting some information that would hurt Hillary, he almost certainly would have told his father, though that might be difficult to prove.

The second question is whether an action with intent to break the law is in itself illegal, or does something of value actually have to be passed between the foreign person and the American. Again, whether information of value was transferred or not during the interaction would have to come from someone who was in the room. This is fantasy, as no one would be interested in self-incrimination. Other matters that could have helped the Trump campaign could also have occurred in that meeting. Decisions might have been made about how the Russian information damaging to Hillary should be released, and who should actually release it. Obviously, it could not be the Russians directly, so they would have to use an intermediary like Wiki-leaks which could not be traced back to them. The scheduled release of the information to have the most impact on Hillary’s campaign might also have been determined at the meeting. But it is unlikely that the public or the investigators will ever know for certain what transpired.

The way this transaction between the Russians and the Trump team was handled was not very professional, with a permanent record from both sides that could be used in court as evidence. You can bet that Mueller and his investigators will be following through on the meeting to see if it can be tied to Russian hacking or others efforts by the Russians to undermine Hillary’s campaign. Though Jr is obviously a con man like his father, he doesn’t have the same years of scamming, lying and cheating behind him to help his performance. Give him time and he’ll get better at it. He is a chip off the old block.

03/09/2017

American democracy has reached a sad state of affairs. Partisanship and allegiance to one’s political party is currently considered by many politicians to be more important than patriotism and concern for the nation. The United States has elected a president around whom questions swirl, regarding his and his surrogates’ association with Russia prior to his assuming the presidency, and whether there was Russian interference in the electoral process.

Depending on what the answers to these questions are, it is possible that the president may have been guilty of treason, possibly a lesser crime, or possibly nothing at all. But in America in times past, both political parties would be anxious to learn the answers to the questions about Trump and his surrogates’ communications with Russian agents, how they affected the election, and what they portend for the future relationship of America and Russia.

Nixon’s crimes involved nefarious actions to aid his election campaign and then covering up and lying about these actions. But they all occurred within the confines of the country and did not involve any contact with a foreign nation to help him or damage his opponent. Yet Republicans, members of his own party, as well as the Democrats, wanted to know what he had done and whether it contravened the laws of the nation. A select committee was formed by the Senate in a unanimous vote to investigate Nixon’s conduct and open hearings were held and televised by the major networks to allow the public access to the information that was being uncovered.

Here, with Trump and his surrogates, there is possibly a more serious crime if he colluded with the Russians to aid him in his election bid, or made some sort of agreement with them prior to becoming president. One would think that Senators and members of Congress from both political parties would be screaming for an investigation to be held and to be done quickly. If there was some sort of agreement with the Russians or illegal contact, should Trump be sitting in the White House conducting the nation’s foreign policy? On the other hand, if nothing illegal occurred, shouldn’t we all be privy to that information, secure in the knowledge that there are no secret agreements with the Russians and that they did not play an active role in Trump’s election.

In addition to learning about all the contact between Trump’s surrogates and the Russians and what their objectives were, the investigators should probe the Wikileaks leaks and where their information came from. Who hacked the DNC computers and who hacked Podesta’s emails? How was their release decided so it would affect the election? There is no question that foreign players attempted to damage Hillary. If it was not the Russians, who was it, and why? How can we keep our electoral process safe in the future, so that outsiders cannot influence the results? And Trump’s outrageous statements about Obama tapping his phones at Trump Tower without any proof can also be investigated.

There are a lot of important questions that need to be answered about the last election. Why aren’t both parties up in arms about interference in our electoral process and demanding an investigation of every unanswered question? Why isn’t there a special commission already investigating these questions? The GOP is putting party before country in its unwillingness to back an open special investigating commission.

02/15/2017

First major casualty of the nascent Trump administration, former General Michael Flynn resigned/was fired two days ago. Flynn, who was the top National Security Advisor, had gotten too big for his britches and his balloon was burst when information came out regarding his dealings with the Russian Ambassador prior to Trump’s inauguration. Apparently, this Putin buddy told the Ambassador that the sanctions that had just been applied to the Russians by Obama for their interference in the 2016 elections would be reversed by Trump once he was in office.

Flynn had been in trouble before when he was part of the Obama administration and had been kicked out of his job as Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency because of difficulty dealing with subordinates and his inability to accept any intelligence that contradicted his fixed beliefs. Flynn had also been involved with the Russians previously, before Trump became president, taking paid speaking engagements on RT, the Russian international television network. He also appeared at a dinner with Putin and apparently had business dealings with some of the oligarchs.

Of course, as National Security Advisor to Trump, Flynn could not maintain any links to the Russians and could not make any secret agreements with Russian officials behind Trump’s back. He lied about his conversation with the Russian ambassador and withheld the information from Vice President Pence, who went out on a limb defending Flynn before he was aware of the deception. Flynn may also be guilty of violating the Logan Act by speaking with the representative of a foreign government before Trump was in office.

By lying to Vice-President Pence and other US officials, Flynn placed himself in a potentially compromising position, opening himself up to being blackmailed by the Russians. Trump was apparently aware of the situation with Flynn seventeen days before the National Security Advisor resigned, so one has to wonder why Trump was sitting on that information and doing nothing about it. Who else in the administration knew what was going on and who gave the word to Flynn that he had to leave? Are any other administration officials guilty of conspiring with the Russians or withholding information from the president? Is Flynn going to be the only one leaving or can the nation expect to hear the words “You’re fired” yelled by the president at other members of his team? Is the president himself guilty of involvement with the Russians before the election?

Flynn is a malignant Islamophobe who has initiated and spread various conspiracy theories along with his son, the latter being excluded from the Trump team when some of his paranoid theories became known. Hillary’s involvement in a child porn ring was one of the instances of false news disseminated by Flynn pere and fils. Flynn also led aggressive chants at Trump rallies of “Lock Her Up,” in relation to Hillary’s email debacle and problems with the Clinton Foundation. Flynn might have been an ardent Trump supporter but it was obvious that he was a troubled individual, which might not have been recognized by the president.

A question now is who is going to take over the role of National Security Advisor for Trump, an extremely important position in his administration, as Trump does not want to listen to long daily briefings about national security and does not read lengthy analyses of pending problems. There is some thought that former General David Petraeus might be given the job, a really smart and knowledgeable guy regarding military and intelligence issues. Though he did slip once previously, giving classified information to his mistress who was a journalist, some smut in a candidate’s history could be a plus for a job in the Trump administration. And Petraeus has all of the other bona fides. But the job may go to someone Trump can control.

Another question is whether or not the FBI is continuing its pursuit of the hacking by the Russians and the part it played in the election, or whether the subject was closed? How about Trumps interactions with the Russians before he became president? Is there going to be a Congressional investigation of these matters or will a select committee be formed to look into this attempt to sway America’s ‘free elections?’ Or will Congress continue to back Trump because of his party affiliation, putting party ahead of country as they have done for so long?

In addition to the Flynn debacle, a lot of unusual situations have surfaced since Donald Trump began his trek to the presidency, with none of the adverse or damaging information or actions sticking to him yet. John Gatti, the Mafia boss, was nicknamed the Teflon Don because of a similar ability years ago. Maybe Trump is another Teflon Don.

11/06/2016

Can America ever get back to being America again? Given the animus and hatred that has surfaced during this election campaign, this is not a frivolous question? The answer depends to a great degree on your previous vision of what America was and what your expectations are about what the future will bring when the election is over.

The anger and vituperation that we have seen every day on the Internet and television and heard on the radio over the last year did not just suddenly arise. It has been building for decades, constructed out of partisan lies and exaggerations believed by an uninformed electorate, whose civic and political knowledge comes from an echo chamber of sources, particularly talk radio and alternative media. But it has been magnified by the Trump campaign, willing to pursue victory by enhancing the nation’s divisions, demonizing opponents, and voicing conspiracy theories with no basis in fact. This has stoked his supporters’ fury against those who oppose their supposed savior in any way, and raises the possibility of violence if Trump loses the election.

According to mental health professionals, this election has produced more stress and anxiety than any recent past contests, likely because citizens view it and the candidates in such stark blacks and whites. Will the anger and stress just dissipate after the election is over? The anticipation and uncertainty will be gone, but whichever candidate wins, the White House will be occupied by a person that nearly half the country despises. How will this president get his or her opponents to accept his or her legitimacy and work with this person who has been declared the victor by our electoral system?

Since Bill Clinton’s presidency, the political rancor and partisanship between the parties (and their supporters) has been growing and is now overwhelming, the attempt to impeach Clinton perhaps the point of no return. However, George W. Bush’s justification for the war in Iraq and his failure to find weapons of mass destruction generated passionate antagonism among the opponents of the war and itself increased partisanship.

And Obama’s presidency has been marked by conservative hostility to him personally, with a large percentage of Republicans still unwilling to acknowledge his American heritage and Christianity, believing he is secretly a Muslim and that his actions are meant to destroy the nation. They cite Obamacare and his executive orders to improve the environment and cut global warming as examples of his duplicity. There is also the Republican Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell’s comment about his most important job being to assure that Obama was a one-term president, rather than cooperating with him on legislation for the good of the nation.

The refusal of the Senate to confirm Obama’s moderate nominee Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court is another illustration of the extreme partisanship that exists, even though previously Garland appeared quite acceptable to Senate Republicans. And the obstructionism will not stop if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency. At least three Republican senators have already said that they will not confirm any of Clinton’s nominees to the Supreme Court before she has even mentioned any names. How can government function when the executive and legislative branches cannot work together because of hostility and partisanship? This was not the way democracy was envisioned when the Founding Fathers designed the structure of the government.

Thus, it is unlikely that America will change after this election is decided. America will continue to be the America it has been for the last several decades, which does not present a pretty picture to the world and is distressing to our youth. In fact, America is likely to become even worse in the short run. How does all the venom, hatred, misogyny, and racism that emerged during the campaign get put back into the bottle and tightly corked? That is not likely to happen. It will continue to spew out and splatter the citizens of this nation, engendering even more hostility and antagonism between political opponents and various groups.

The changing demographics and the emergence of new roles for women will eventually transform America but much pain and violence is likely to precede this evolution. Uneducated white men are threatened by the transformation and saw Trump as their standard-bearer. If he loses…..We can hope for peace and good will but the anger and feelings by some that their needs are being ignored and they are being left behind by government policies does not bode well for a tranquil transition and resolution of differences.

10/24/2016

Enough already! This is the most disgusting and painful presidential election in my lifetime and that of most American citizens. And it goes on and on and on. Even Lady Liberty is crying. The presidential contest started virtually as soon as the last election was completed four years ago, picking up steam as it rolled along. The maneuvering and fund-raising began in earnest about two years ago and the primaries to pick the actual candidates nearly a year ago. Why can’t it be over?

The process of American elections is the longest in the world with the main job of federal officeholders and candidates being to raise money to run their campaigns. Once a person is in office, he or she immediately starts raising money for the next campaign, which comes up every two years for members of Congress. Officeholders not only have to be concerned with potential opponents from the other party, but to be sure they are not going to be ambushed by members of their own party seeking to undercut them for not being conservative or liberal enough.

The presidential election is a whole other ballgame even though the candidates are out of the gate when the previous election is in the books. Seventeen Republicans were seeking the presidential nomination of their party when the primary season began, and after multiple debates, caucuses, party meetings and so forth, The Donald captured the nomination. He used his celebrity power, pushing the right emotional buttons, and a weak bunch of opponents to grab the brass ring that the pundits believed was beyond his ability to do. He sure proved them wrong.

However, this may turn out to be a disaster for the Republican Party and for American democracy as the dirt and abuse keeps flowing, with even more desperation as Trump appears to be losing to Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate. He also appears to be losing his grip on sanity. His charges that the election is being rigged by Hillary and her supporters and the liberal media is beyond the pale, but there are millions of people in his base who actually believe these outlandish and dangerous claims. This came after the tape that revealed he was a sexual predator (which he denied) and a number of women who claimed that he had groped and forced himself upon them. All liars, he declared, even though his words seemed to support what these women were saying. Why can’t it be over?

This is not to say that Hillary is an angel. Far from it. She has had a number of ethical problems, was careless with her emails while Secretary of State, had questions of helping the Clinton Foundation while a government employee, attacked Bill’s sexual partners and blamed them for his infidelity, had backing from the DNC in the primaries, and so forth. But compared to Trump she’s as pure as the driven snow. And in addition, she’s a seasoned and competent professional who is knowledgeable about how the government is run and knows what needs to be done to address the country’s troubles. No grandstanding like Trump.

But the conflict between Trump and Hillary appears never ending with The Donald refusing to accept that he’s losing. When it finally is over, will The Donald acknowledge his loss gracefully or continue to claim that the election was rigged and that he really won. Every politician has a bit of a narcissist in him or her, but America has never had a total narcissistic candidate that could rival Trump in his self-adoration and belief in his omnipotence. And he keeps pushing the buttons of his supporters to get them riled up at the way the election is being stolen. What will they do after the fat lady has sung and the results are in? Will Trump and his supporters recede into the hills and wait for the next election? Will there be violence or an armed rebellion? Why can’t it all be over?

10/19/2016

This whole campaign has been the tawdriest and dirtiest in American history and the last debate followed the same trajectory. Trump tried to deflect his remarks about sexual abuse of women and the women who have come forward with stories of unwanted attention by The Donald. Hillary tried to minimize her email carelessness and the effects of the Wikileaks dump, which really didn’t have any damning information though Trump tried to make it seem that way.

However, the issue that Trump has focused on recently has been his take that the election is rigged by Hillary and the liberal media, though he has produced no evidence to validate his claims. The danger of course is how his base will respond to these claims and the way it could delegitimize a Hillary victory. The most surprising element of tonight’s debate was Trump’s refusal to agree to accept the results of the election if Hillary wins. He said he would evaluate everything that happened before considering whether or not to accept the results.

This denigration of the American electoral process by a presidential candidate goes to the very heart of American democracy. His refusal to accept his loss would delegitimize a victory by Hillary Clinton and would make American democracy the laughingstock of the world. America could no longer talk to other nations about their abuse of human rights or dictatorial regimes that disregarded the will of the people in elections. America’s foreign policy goals would have to be abandoned and American diplomats would have to make excuses for our electoral process and any attempts to support democracy in other parts of the world.

Even more dangerous, however, would be the large number of Trump supporters who would also refuse to accept the results of the election which they felt had been rigged, following the line of their leader. This could cause violence and even rebellion in parts of the country and an unwillingness to obey the laws of the federal government and the new Supreme Court. Trump was playing with fire and didn’t care about the destruction he might ignite for American democracy. As it has always been, it was all about Trump.

10/18/2016

Even before he has lost the election, Donald Trump is courting danger. Not for himself, but for America and for democracy. His statements that if he loses the election, it is because it was rigged and stolen by the Democrats and the liberal media have heightened the anger of his supporters. And Mike Pence, his VP candidate has gone along with Trump’s false assertions. At one of the Trump-Pence rallies, there were calls for a revolution if Hillary wins. America has never faced this kind of militant reaction from a major presidential candidate and his supporters in modern times. They refuse to accept the facts that the majority of voters do not appear to want Trump as their president.

And Trump is happy to stoke the anger of his supporters. His ranting and raving against “crooked Hillary” and his threats to throw her in jail if he is elected have energized his backers who believe this is a real possibility. The focus on Hillary’s private email server and her speeches to financial companies have tamped down the damage that Trump did to himself when the tapes were released showing him to be a sexual predator. And the Trump base has been willing to overlook or forgive his comments, accepting his excuse that it was just locker room talk. The fact that a number of women have reported Trump’s attacks on them have been dismissed as lies by Trump and believed as such by his supporters. To many of his backers, Trump can do no wrong and Hillary is characterized as the devil.

It is amazing that so many of his supporters see the election in blacks and whites, with Trump as the white knight riding in to save the country. His failure to pay taxes for years and his unwillingness to release his tax returns don’t bother his base. His failures as a businessman with his series of bankruptcies and screwing his investors, his contractors, and the small businesses that worked for him are passed off by his backers as media propaganda by liberal journalists who are out to get Trump. His supporters are unwilling to investigate the attacks on Trump for themselves, perhaps afraid they will discover that the denunciations of him are based on facts, and that Trump is truly a liar, manipulator, sexual predator, lousy businessman, and a fraudulent blowhard; a narcissistic autocrat who is a danger to American democracy.

America has a long history of conspiracy theories and political paranoia, rife in the 20th century. These included the John Birchers, Joe McCarthy and his anti-Communist witch hunts, the John Kennedy assassination and the refusal to believe it was done by Lee Harvey Oswald alone, the moon landing that some believe was faked, the supposed extra-terrestrials in Roswell, New Mexico, and so forth. Of course, they biggest one in the 21st century was the refusal by many to believe that Obama was born in America, was a Christian and not a Muslim. In fact, many Republicans still adhere to these beliefs, particularly the Trump supporters. So it is not surprising that his base is willing to believe that the election could be rigged and stolen from him. Over 40 percent of voters believe the election could indeed be fraudulent and fixed by Hillary and her “liberal” cohort.”

For years, Republican state legislatures have passed strict voter ID laws, claiming that it was necessary to prevent voter fraud. This is in spite of the fact that multiple studies have shown that voter fraud is virtually non-existent. In reality, these laws were passed to reduce minority voting with the GOP trying to make it harder for minorities to register. But with the idea of voter fraud already inculcated in the minds of Republicans, it was not a big step for the Trump backers to think that the entire election could be stolen. Of course, a central conspiracy to fix an American election would be impossible with the states and localities controlling the voting process.

According to Politico, Republican leaders are now trying to get Trump to stop claiming that the election will be rigged and stolen from him. They say unless he can show some proof, he should refrain from his assertions, as they could lead to more disrespect for the government, flouting of the laws, and even some violent reactions if Trump loses the election, which now seems likely. Will there be a rebellion in some areas of the country led by white supremacists. We’ll have to wait and see. But the anger Trump is stoking is certainly dangerous and a new low in American politics.

Trump doesn’t want to be branded “a loser” and will do anything he can to avoid being called that. He doesn’t care whether he might damage the nation and American democracy, ruining the image of America globally. For Trump, everything is done for Trump with no consideration of the repercussions.

08/09/2016

Even before the election takes place Donald Trump is claiming that the election is rigged and that if he loses, it’s because the voting is fixed. Why is he doing this? Is it to stir up his supporters to get them to the polls, encourage them to contribute to his campaign, have them actively participate to convince other voters to back him? None of these possibilities really hold much water.

The Donald is claiming the system is rigged so that if he loses, he won’t be known as a “loser.” This is the worst epithet in the Trump lexicon, and no matter what happens, he doesn’t want to be called a loser. If he convinces others that the system is rigged, he may not be thought of that way. (But no matter how you cut it, he will still be a loser.)

Though he obviously doesn’t care, Trump’s declaration that the voting is fixed is bad for America and for the democratic system. It makes the nation look bad in the eyes of the rest of the world, particularly in those nations where autocrats rule. People like Putin and Xe can take Trump’s statements as truth and use it in their propaganda to show that democracy is not really what it’s cracked up to be. Free elections are not really free and the outcome is pre-ordained by the people who run “the system.” Other nations can use his statements as well for anti-American propaganda and to criticize democracy.

Trump can also employ his claims to dispute the results of the election, to ask for recounts and challenge the vote totals in various areas. It can diminish the legitimacy of Hillary’s presidency as well if she wins, with some people convinced that she wasn’t really the victor. (Trump played the same game with his birther claims to contest the legitimacy of Obama’s presidency by stating that he was not born in America, was not a citizen, and was a Muslim, trying to destroy his public image.)

There is a possibility that some people will believe Trump’s claims and may be more inclined to vote for him, thinking that the system is unfair. More worrisome is that some of his supporters may not acquiesce to a Trump loss, particularly if the vote is close. If they assume that the election was rigged, they may institute civil disobedience actions that make the nation, or portions of it, difficult to govern. They might also foment an insurrection against the federal government, an armed rebellion that could take the form of guerilla warfare or a direct military confrontation. Trump’s supporters include all the white supremacists and militia groups that are armed to the teeth. They could raise a formidable army to fight for Trump if the circumstances were right. All of them hate Hillary and the Democrats and the right spark could ignite them. And seeing how Trump has been conducting his campaign, he could be the one to provide that spark. The narcissist in him might not be able to resist it.

It is imperative that the media be more aggressive contesting Trump’s remarks about election rigging, whether the editors, correspondents and owners have a conservative or liberal outlook. It is not something that demands neutrality as his comments are untrue and damage the nation. Trump has been playing with fire since the onset of his campaign with his nativist and populist remarks, and focus on identity politics. His claims of election rigging have upset people in both the GOP and Democratic parties, with uncertainty about where he is going with this. It’s another example of Trump’s instability and his unworthiness to hold the presidency. No matter what he says and how he tries to shape the narrative, Trump is a danger to America and the democratic process.